The Prismatic Order

The legacy of the Prismatic Order’s start has been embellished, stretched, and contorted to have several different origins. Those origins such as; from being hand selected by dragons of their own color to join a band of wizards, from being a group of the greatest wizards from every continent and kingdom in the entire world of Eberron, from being former celestial figures from another plane of being who hand selected their heirs. The truth, however, is much more mundane than fiction.

276 years in the past, political unrest from the Wizard’s Guild of Cyre had seven of the more idealistic wizards choose to break apart from their hierarchical counterparts to form The Prismatic Order. These men and women chose to be known by a color, rather than the name that they made with their old lives. They each chose to work together for a greater good, leaving the country of Cyre and making way for the continent least tainted by politics. They left for Xen’Drik. Using their talents, they financed the raising of the Prismatic Tower, each with

Who Were The Original Seven?

Arngrim The Red (Eladrin) – You might think with a name like The Red, he might be known for his ruthlessness, or perhaps his lust for blood? You’d be wrong with Arngrim. He was passionate about expanding knowledge across the globe. His affinity for magic started with fire magic, which would add to his passion, but he rarely exposed his full and terrifying power, even until his dying day.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

Passionate, outgoing, and with a knowledge that growing the world was far more rewarding than the growing of the self. Extremely lawful.

Honayr’l The Orange (Eladrin) – The eldest of the women of the former wizard guild, Honayr’l was much more pragmatic than her other counterparts. She found that a tempered tone, along with considerable forethought could overcome all but the most violent of situations. However, her studious nature was something she could not pass onto her next, and only, apprentice.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

Honayr’l took great care to find someone with amazing potential for learning and growth, and hoped to mold them into someone of great character and dignity. However, the only apprentice she could find not only erased his name from history, but also was the one who killed her. The Orange’s apprentice took the few things of great power of his mistress’ and fled. His whereabouts, race, and even NAME have been erased from all of the Prismatic Order’s history books. This is by far, the greatest loss the Prismatic Order have ever suffered.

Thontril the Yellow (Dwarf) – The dwarven wizard might seem the most stoic and hardheaded, but the merry prankster of the Prismatic Order wouldn’t let you think any other way. Seeing the Yellow march out into a crowded area, a stern and remorseless glare painted across that face of his, and you might think he were a man with malice in his heart. When he prances back carrying a handful of flowers and singing like some sort of hippy, you know you had the wrong idea. Thontril was a man who always chose to see the best in people, even in the very worst of people. Seeking to avoid casualties at every possible action, he spent his career utilizing dozens of different illusionist skills to persuade his enemies that surrender is the far better solution.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

Thontril was never interested in gaining great power over the elements, or trying to control every little detail. His apprentice needed to be able to appreciate everything that happened, and find the hope in even the most dire of situation. Most of all though, a pacifist.

Axel The Green (Human) – Axel was not exactly a wizard, per se. He was the mediator between the Wizard’s Guild and the Wardens of the North. When the others sought to leave their guild, Axel asked to join them. Since the Prismatic Order wasn’t a wizard’s guild anymore, they accepted their long time friend from the forest. Axel strove to be a meticulous voice for them, inscribing their entire history, from the first members until his dying breath.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

Axel sought only to try to meld the growth of nature into the science of magic. Mostly, he collaborated with Yellow and Indigo when they experimented on various magical forumla, and his apprentice needed to basically be dual trained in both the lay of the land, and the lay of arcane energies. Basically, a very hardy reader. VERY hardy.

Illyena The Blue (Tiefling) – ‘Words are a waste of time. Only actions matter.’ Illyena was cold, distant, and extremely brilliant. Growing up persecuted by the world because your ancestors made a pact with demons? It puts a very specific spin on your world view. Rather than associate with the masses, she spend her time with books. Rather than going outside and exploring, she chose to learn dozens of different languages. You get the picture. Illyena learned from an early age that there’s no one in the world you can rely on but yourself. Her talent was actually witnessed on accident by Honayr’l, who begged her to join the Wizard’s Guild. The promises of unparalleled libraries, and arcane texts that would otherwise be lost forever was all the enticing she needed. The drama of Wizard’s Politics, however, was what had her leave them and join up with The Prismatic Order.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

Illyena’s only requirement was talent. When people sought to join up with the Prismatic Order, she was responsible for turning many of them away. She eventually found exactly one person who fit her extremely high standards. Someone with a mind brilliant enough to aid in the erasure of the Prismatic Order’s documents, smart enough to study the schedules of each of the head wizards, and clever enough to get what they wanted. Power. It was Illyena’s desire for perfection that found the catalyst for the end of the Order as it was seen fit. Leventhal.

Sha’hal The Indigo (Half-Elf) – Probably the most controversial of the initial seven. Why? Zero magical training. Sha’hal ‘overheard’ a discussion about where they would build the Prismatic Tower. With all of their magical might and knowledge of the land, they had no contacts to any sort of smithy, stone cutters, or architects. Sha’hal saw an opportunity to get out of the life of a traveling stage performer, and into the life of a liaison for an up and coming group of spellslingers. Cha. Ching. Sha’hal was able to give up his life of traveling around, telling the dirtiest of filthy stories for a pittance to drunken sailors and pirates. Now, he could have a comfy estate, and all he’d have to do is mediate a bunch of prissy wizards and thier money between the various craftsmen. Upon the completion of the Tower, they granted him an honorary title of The Indigo, and let him know he always had a home there.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

None, actually. Sha’hal took advantage of the kindness of the other 6 of the order. As they retired and apprentices came in to take over, it soon became clear that his status was non-transferrable, as the others simply wouldn’t allow someone without some sort of magical talent to thrive within their halls. When The Orange’s apprentice murdered Honayr’l, Sha’hal left. Some say he left with the Apprentice. Some say he was murdered too. Needless to say, there were many questions about the Honorary Member Of The Prismatic Order.

Ixnal The Violet (Dragonborn) – Illusions are merely your mind trying to shield you from the truth, but it is often more vile than reality. Ixnal started off as a street magician. Simple slight of hand with a hint of legitimate magical theory. The Archmagus of the Wizard’s Guild of Cyre originally had no intention of letting a Dragonborn into the guild at all. However, a wager was made that Ixnal could not pass even the most rudimentary entrance exam. Not only did he pass, he broke even the Archmagus’ own record. He was left to study with gnomes and drow in the darkest reaches of the guild, working on illusions to make the aristocrats of the day donate more money to the guild. When approached by Honayr’l about breaking ties with the guild, Ixnal accepted without a moments hesitation.

What sort of apprentice did they train?

Ixnal was not about to have someone willing to be stepped on to work under him. Instead he opted to find the strongest willed person who asked to train, and simply tore into him. Yelling, insulting, and basically everything short of a magical confrontation. When they fought back with words, Ixnal smiled. They passed the test. Ixnal was a HARSH teacher, but it was a harsh world. If you weren’t willing to put your thoughts, life, and experiences on the line, then why even show up?

What broke the Prismatic Order apart?

The records and the facts are different on this matter. This is mostly due to the fact that it was the apprentices who did the majority of the writing after the passing of Axel the Green. Axel’s first apprentice didn’t actually pan out, nor did his second. The records state his third apprentice, Nimozaran, witnessed the new apprentices (as the originals were retiring) begin ploying for power that basically didn’t exist. The Apprentice Orange started vying for the affection of the other masters. Honayr’l found this to just be friendly and affectionate behavior. Regrettably, this was the start. Spreading lies and sabotaging projects of other wizards, including that of Honayr’l to mask their own involvement, The Apprentice Orange slowly got more and more clout, becoming the favored among all the wizards in the tower. The only person who saw through this charade was Sha’hal. Sha’hal may not have known magic, but he knew a scam when he saw one. Instead of speaking up, however, he stayed his tongue, not wishing to second guess the generosity of Honayr’l.

As the mages grew older, they left their names to their apprentices. Arngrim was the first to retire, as he had been wizarding for nearly a century. Soon, one by one, the others left and passed on their names and colors to their apprentices… Except for Honayr’l. She was actually younger than some of the apprentices, no one could question her integrity, and her magical prowess exceeded even the most astute of the remaining wizards. The Apprentice Orange, favored by everyone, was held back by a friendly wizard who simply was too young to retire. Without any sort of leadership structure, and the laid back attitude of Honayr’l, the newer colors started to take advantage of The Apprentice Orange. Each of those wizards looked up to The Apprentice Orange, and now that they think they’re in charge, they began to push him. Now was the time to strike.

The Apprentice Orange conferred with Sha’hal about procuring a specific form of poison. While the poison’s identity was never uncovered (thus, the reason for it’s use), under the guise of research. Sha’hal, however, was not one of these stuffed shirt prissy mages. He was a man who knew the streets, and what things were used for. When Sha’hal approached Honayr’l about it, she confirmed that it was indeed for research. Sha’hal let Honayr’l know his suspicious about The Apprentice Orange’s motives, but Honayr’l would not hear any of it. An accusation that someone within the Prismatic Order would wish harm on another? Outrageous. Sha’hal relented and procured the poison, and was gone the next morning. As noon approached, Honayr’l was dead. With the old guard gone, The Apprentice Orange became the new Orange, and enacted a new rule of law for the Prismatic Order. He named himself the Septarch.

What is the Septarch?

The Septarch was a new position, created by The Orange, as a seat of authority within the Prismatic Order. Any differences between the wizards would be arbitrated by the Septarch. With the fledgling group trying to adjust without the wisdom of the original seven, it fell to their baser nature to establish the new pecking order. Jockeying for position, favors for favors, and the shady deals that made the original seven leave their wizard’s guild. The more idealistic colors decided to leave, but The Orange stayed behind. Trying to usher in a new era for the Prismatic Order under their rule was proving to be difficult, but the newest recruits were willing to accept this as the status quo, having never met the original seven.

Then, without so much as a word, The Orange disappeared. All record of name, race, even gender were erased from history. The people can’t even remember anything other than an orange apprentice, the Septarch, and… nothing.

Time passed, and without an acting Septarch, the group fell apart. Eventually entire colors simply left for ‘personal research’, and have not been heard from since. Eventually, Nimozaran The Green took the reigns as Septarch, but only after most of the other colors left.

What information is there about the current Prismatic Members?

The Red – Missing In Action.

The Orange – Elrick (Human). Recruited by Nimozaran to be trained to join the Prismatic Order. Currently adventuring with The Torchebearers in Xen’Drik. The newest member of the guild, but completely lacking on the true history of both his patron color, and the guild as a whole. Elrick requested the color Orange before Nimozaran ever had the chance to discuss what that might mean.

The Yellow – Missing In Action

The Green – Nimozaran (Eladrin). The Current Septarch. Traveling around the world trying to recruit more skilled wizards to bring The Prismatic Order back to it’s former glory. He’s left the care of the Prismatic Tower to his apprentice, Tobolar Quickfoot. He has NO intention of telling Elrick the history of The Orange Apprentice.

The Blue – Missing In Action

The Indigo – Sha’hal has not been seen or heard from since he left the Order’s grounds. Presumed dead.

The Violet – Amara (Tiefling). The Mistress Of Illusion takes strongly after her patron color master, Ixnal. Currently in seclusion experimenting on further illusionary techniques. She still sends status updates and requisitions to the order, which are almost universally granted. She knows they’ve named a new Orange, but has yet to meet him. Amara does know the history of the history of the Order, but has yet to determine if she’ll spoil the Septarch’s surprise for the newest member.